


Kay's Way of Helping

by yellowbound



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Everyone lives, F/M, Fluff, Post-Scarif
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-10-22 10:32:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10695198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yellowbound/pseuds/yellowbound
Summary: K-2SO offers to play some songs for Jyn when she finds it too quiet after a mission.“I have over fifty-two thousand samples of musical recording from twenty-seven thousand five hundred and one planets,” said K2.Jyn blinked in astonishment. “You do?”“Sometimes it is helpful for Cassian to hear some after a mission.”





	Kay's Way of Helping

**Author's Note:**

> For [rebelcaptainprompts](https://rebelcaptainprompts.tumblr.com/) #10 music.

“It’s too quiet in here,” Jyn complained as she hauled herself up to the cockpit of the banged up Imperial shuttle they had stolen. She had gotten used to missions that included Baze, Chirrut, and Bodhi as well, not just Cassian and K-2SO. The absence of her friends bothered her more than she would ever admit to anyone, including herself.

“I have over fifty-two thousand samples of musical recording from twenty-seven thousand five hundred and one planets,” said K2.

Jyn blinked in astonishment. “You do?”

“Sometimes it is helpful for Cassian to hear some after a mission.”

“Thank you, Kay,” said Cassian, trying to end the conversation. Jyn wasn’t having it.

“Why aren’t you playing one now?”

“He does not seem particularly distressed.” Both Jyn and K2 turned to look at a chagrined-looking Cassian, who, despite being covered in the detritus of their last excursion, including dirt and what looked suspiciously like slime (Jyn had no idea how he had gotten that), didn’t actually seem all that perturbed by any of it.

“That is true,” Jyn said, still looking him over. She reached out, pointing to the slime streaked down one sleeve of his jacket. “How did you pick that up?”

Cassian, who already was looking disgruntled, frowned down at where she was pointing. “I don’t-” his frown got deeper. “I think I brushed up against something.” He was already sliding out of his cockpit seat, and soon disappearing below, careful of his arm.

“He takes careful care of his possessions,” Kay added, unnecessarily.

“I know,” Jyn said, smiling. She didn’t know if she was smiling at the droid, or at Cassian not being overly ruffled by being chased through crowded city streets by Imperial sympathizers, but being upset that his favorite jacket might be ruined.

“Can you play a song for me?” Jyn asked, as Kay turned back to his controls.

He cocked his head at her. “I do not know what you would like to hear.”

She shrugged. “What do you normally play for Cassian?”

Kay paused for a moment before a quiet, lovely sound filled the cabin. The gentle, undulating sounds reminded her of Lah’mu, and walking along the beach near her parents’ farm, her father calling to her lest she run to far ahead of them, her mother chiding him for being too protective.

She sighed when the song ended as gently as it had begun. Kay, who was still working at his station, lifted his head to her. “Would you like to hear another?”

She both would and wouldn’t. The memory had been intense, she was not quite ready for another. “Not at the moment. Thank you.”

She decided to go find Cassian and didn’t have to go far. He was sitting at the bottom of the ladder that lead from the cockpit to the cargo hold. His jacket had been removed, and he had rolled up his shirt sleeves, his bare arms resting on his knees.

Cassian shifted a bit, away from the ladder, making sure he wasn’t in her way as she came down, but other than that he didn’t turn to look at her. With his head bent, Jyn couldn’t see the expression on his face, his hair still dirty. He might take good care of his possessions, but he did not take the greatest care of himself.

Jyn hesitated, and Chirrut’s voice, unbidden, flowed through her mind: _The captain would not mind if you sat with him_. Jyn started a little bit - had Chirrut said that to her before? She managed to stop herself from looking around for him, she knew he wasn’t there. But somehow her friend still made his presence felt.

Gently, as quietly as she could, she sat down next to Cassian, close but not too close, unwilling to close the distance that remained.

Jyn, not one for sitting still, felt she should at least do something. She ached to reach out and touch him, but she had only been brave enough to do that in the face of an approaching event horizon.

Instead she asked, “Did you program him to do that?”

Cassian shook his head. “No.” A pause. Jyn was about to ask another question when he added, “He went and found and loaded those songs himself.” Another pause. The unstated _why?_ hung in the air. Before Jyn could make up her mind if she should press him on it or not, he said, “To play for me. After missions.” _Oh_ , thought Jyn. “He hasn’t played anything in awhile.”

“I don’t mind.”

A shrug. “It hasn’t been necessary.” He was sitting up a bit straighter, now, looking across at the far wall.

Jyn side-eyed him. “You only listen to music when necessary?”

That brought an amused huff. “I only have Kay play me music when necessary. He’d get cranky, otherwise.”

“How could you tell?”

That got her his slight, barely there smile that she knew by now meant he was really pleased. “You would risk your life for him, you know.”

“I know.” And then: “He’s not the only one.”

Jyn wanted to take it back as soon as she said it - somehow, admitting that was too much, she had gone too far. Even though she did constantly put her life on the line for Cassian, she prefered to not actually talk or think about it.

Kay saved her. “We are approaching our destination.” His announcement wafted down the stairwell.

Cassian was on his feet immediately, but instead of ascending the ladder, as she expected, he extended a hand to help her up. Before she could think about what she was doing, she reached up and grabbed it.

After helping her to her feet, Cassian gently bumped her hand against his thigh. It was so subtle a gesture that Jyn could’ve mistaken it for an accident, but she knew it wasn’t. He stood looking down at her, very close, his free hand on the ladder. While his touch was only fleetingly familiar, his physical proximity was a constant, comforting. Perhaps that is why, instead of dropping his hand and letting him move away, Jyn squeezed tighter, letting her fingers play along his.

“Cassian, Jyn, we are exiting hyperspace in five minutes.”

Cassian smiled, a real, full smile, that Jyn couldn’t help but return. “We could just let Kay deal with it,” he said, leaning in closer.

“ _Cassian_ ,” Kay called again.

“He’d neither let us get away with that nor ever forgive either one of us if we tried,” she responded. She shoved him gently, as though urging him to move, but her grip on his hand let him know that she prefered he stayed where he was.

“Are you stuck on the ladder?” Kay’s voice, much closer, caused Jyn and Cassian to look up, to see the droid’s head through the round opening separating the two levels.

“We’re coming,” Cassian said, dropping her hand with a regretful squeeze, as Jyn moved back to give him a little space.

“ _Told you_ ,” Jyn said as she admired Cassian’s form as he climbed the ladder. By the time she appeared in the cockpit, both droid and captain were seated at the controls, headphones in place, all business. Jyn moved up and leaned against Cassian’s seat, her arm pressed against his. Cassian glanced at her briefly, a smile on his lips, before turning back to work.

Kay turned to look at her, not so briefly. “Wouldn’t you be safer-”

“She’s okay,” said Cassian at the same time Jyn said, “I’m good.” Kay, perturbed but not knowing what to do about it, turned back to his controls.

Jyn stayed where she was as they came out of hyperspace.


End file.
